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Dexter Meadows Special Operations Heavy Duty Clip-On Kneepads
Review by: Lurch
About a year ago I started questing for the perfect pair of pads to keep my knees from getting scuffed, scraped, and cut when dropping into or under cover quickly. That reason, plus I grew tired of my legs going numb from the straps cutting off circulation behind my knees and the back of my calves when hunkered down taking fire. Anyone who wears conventional pads also probably suffer from them slipping their way down to the tops of their boots during strenuous activity as well. I tried using several different brands and types. I had a pair of black, Hatch Centurion brand pads that for the twenty bucks I paid for them were fabulous, yet still an uncomfortable and imperfect design.
After those I tried a pair of pads that were made famous on the aggressive roller blading circuit over in California. They were designed I believe either by, or specifically for the Senate skate team by a company called Grand. These were interesting enough in design, and work very well while moving and such for that sport but are still plagued by the same problems of constantly falling down around the top of my boots, and very uncomfortable in a crouched or knelt position for long periods of time.
Finally a few months ago someone told me about this miracle product that would solve all of my woes, cure my male pattern baldness, balance my checkbook, and program my VCR. Well I’m here to tell you that I’m still going bald, I owe the bank thirty five bucks for over drafting, and I still can’t seem tape those episodes of The Unit while I’m at work� But, my search for the perfect set of kneepads is over… forever.
Dexter Meadows Clip-On Knee pads have saved me from scarred knees every time I’ve used them since I bought them two months ago. Initially putting them on and getting them into just the right “sweet spot” may take a few extra minutes to figure out. After they are in place, right where you want them, they aren’t going anywhere. Trust me. You can run, jump, drop, skip to my lieu and do an Irish jig and they won’t move an inch.
A perfect example from this past weekend I went to play airsoft at the Bing Field in Edwardsville Illinois. I wore them all day long from sunup, till well after sundown, late into the evening. I ran hard, dropped fast, dived, scuffed, scurried, and crawled. After all this they were in exactly the same place as where I originally set them. Best of all, when the day was done, I could still feel my legs!
During that day I want to note that since there is no strap wrapped around the back of my legs, I didn’t have any rubbing marks, I never felt confined. I never lost feeling in my calves or ankles as a result. My knees and legs felt so good as a matter of fact, I fell asleep while still wearing them that evening around 02:00 am.
They are attached to the sides of your pant material and held in place by four large alligator clips that lock down tight and don’t move.
Early versions of this clip design I’ve been told would come unlocked and slip eventually after lots of rigorous activity. This was alleviated with an ingenious and relatively cheap solution by way of industrial strength rubber bands that slip over the gator clip and stay firmly in place until you decide to slide them off. The only way these pads are not going to be in the perfect position every time you use them is if your pants fall down, but that’s a story for a different article.
Once the gator clips have been attached where you want them, adjusting the fitments can be achieved via the Velcro straps on the front. The top two adjust independently on the left and right sides. The bottom set, you must adjust one, and then adjust the other because they overlap one another.
Don’t pull them too tight as that will cause the same constrictive effects found in conventional pad setups because the pant material will bind as your leg bends.
You don’t want them too loose either. Just pull them tight enough so they don’t jostle back and forth as you run.
The materials that go into making these pads are tough enough to be used by various police forces and lots of our military boys as well. So if they’re good enough for them, they’re good enough for this man. The straps attached to the clips are made of tough nylon, the gator clips are a fairly thick and sturdy metal, and the front of the pads have a thick hard plastic shell capable of withstanding quite a lot of punishment. I know, I put them through heck this past weekend and they barely look used at all.
They can currently (as of the writing of this article) be purchased in Black, Khaki tan, and Olive drab. I’m told that they are soon coming out with ACU and MARPAT and will eventually be discontinuing sales of some colors as others come out. You can’t beat the price purchasing them directly from http://www.dextermeadows.com either. The pads are sold as one size fits all for $34.95 with free shipping and handling. Replacement gator clips, or rubber clip locks come in sets of four for only $4.95 in case you lose some.
Actually I wore them for practically the first three days straight just dawdling around the house doing yard work and changing the oil in my truck before ever testing them in simulated combat. Very comfortable indeed. After they were adjusted properly I forgot they were even there until I needed to kneel down. One great thing to note, when all the work was done I took off my pants, hung the pants in my closet, put those same pants back on the next day without ever have to detach the pads!
The performance versus price is well in favor of the consumer who chooses these as an investment. That’s right, I said investment. Anyone can purchase something to wear around their legs, but a smart individual will make an investment in their knees for the future. Much as they would a good pair of boots or goggles. Guarding their double barreled bending apparatus’s against such perils as rocks and glass, heavy rucks, and unbalanced loads while in a crouched firing position. Or anything that would do them harm.
To attest to the customer service end of the transaction. I purchased these pads directly from Mr. Meadows website. That same day I received an email explaining a miscommunication of my credit card number during the check-out procedure. Since it was late when I read my mail, I decided to call the next day to straighten it out. To my surprise and great fortune, Mr. Meadows himself answered the telephone and helped me directly. We got the order sorted out and had some small talk about the product itself before the conversation ended. Mr. Meadows is an extremely nice person to deal with. He’s a very friendly, southern sort of gentleman, and I almost got the feeling as if I was speaking to a celebrity by conversing with him. He is a genius after all.
Mr. Meadows mailed out my package on the following Monday, since I had ordered over a weekend. I received it very quickly, within a few days. Packaging was done very well also. My overall experience with this transaction was extremely pleasing, and when it comes time to change my load-out with a new look, I will use nothing else. I cannot recommend these pads or the company high enough with mere words alone.